More Pictures at the Park

Charlie, the kids, and I went back to the park last Tuesday, November 11th. We walked part of the very long trail that goes all the way around the park and I took some more pictures. Here are some of them.

Introversion

I "like" the Introverts are Awesome page on Facebook. They're always sharing great articles. Sometimes I share those same articles as well with my friends. This is one of those articles and one that I made comments about on my news feed.

10 Ways Introverts Interact Differently with the World

And this is what I had to say about it:

"They get distracted easily, but rarely feel bored.

"If you're looking to destroy an introverted person's attention span, just put them in a situation where they feel overstimulated. Due to increased sensitivity to their surroundings, introverts struggle with feeling distracted and sometimes overwhelmed in large crowds and open office spaces.

"However, when they are in peace and quiet, they have no issue tending to a favorite hobby or delving into a new book for hours."

This happens to me at church. Any little movement in my periphery or any sound, loud or not, will cause me to turn my head and see what's going on and who's making that noise (usually a baby or small child) and why. It's largely involuntary for me. I just automatically turn and look. It takes great effort for me to keep facing forward and the whole time my mind is focused on the movement or sound ("Why can't they be quiet or take their child out of the sanctuary?!") and not on what the pastor is saying. So I miss some stuff, which is very annoying.

 As for the rest of the list. Yes, I tend to withdraw from crowds. (The only place I like it crowded and loud is church.) I don't enjoy small talk. I have no interest in being "on stage" or being the center of attention (serious blushing when that happens) or being any sort of leader.

I'm easily distracted (as mentioned above) and I'm rarely bored. Others may find things like reading or being online (FB) or working on one thing for hours at a time (as I do with my family tree) boring, but I love it.

Yes, I try to be on the periphery, such as to one side of a room near an exit or the aisle seat at church, as much as possible when surrounded by people. Quick and easy exits are ideal for me so that when I've had enough, I can leave without too many hindrances.

I'm definitely a thinker. I don't like to make quick decisions (it's nearly impossible for me) or speak too soon.

I screen my calls, for sure. If I don't know who's calling (and sometimes even when I do know), I don't answer the phone. If it's a doctor or the orthodontist or dentist or a place of business, I don't answer the phone unless it's a really important expected call. Such as test results.

True that when I've had enough of a group or activity, I pretty much shut down. And if I can't get away as quickly as I need to, I get really frustrated. Kind of like a claustrophobic feeling. Like if I don't get away now  I'm going to die or explode or something. It's a very strong feeling of needing to escape "right now!" I do this at parties. That is, when I go to parties. Which is hardly ever, as I don't like them. I went to a baby shower a few weeks ago and left the house to be outside a few times just to escape the crowd and the noise. I had  to! lol


What I said above at Facebook is really just part of what it's like for me as an introvert. And, I'm sure, other introverts as well. Friends and family are of great value to me/introverts, but time alone is of equal value. I can quickly get tired of even my favorite people. lol 

You've heard the line, "It's not you, it's me". It's the same with introverts. It's not the company necessarily (though it certainly is if the company is loud and/or talkative) so much as it's just our need as introverts to be alone and "recharge the batteries" as it were. People drain us of our energy and the louder they are or the greater their number, the quicker and more desperately we need time alone.

Extraverts feel energized by being with other people. The more the merrier for them. They love parties and dinners with large groups of people and other social gatherings. Introverts, on the other hand, feel energized by being alone and then we can handle some time spent with other people. (Preferably only one or two people at a time.) However, it takes more time to recharge (time alone) than it does to be drained of energy. After a day of being around other people (whether it be a social gathering or just out and about shopping and running errands), I need 2-3 days of being home to "recover".

Anyway, I could say much more about the subject, but I'll stop here. :-)

Pictures at the Park

I took the kids to the park today to get some Fall pictures of them and the park. It had rained most of the day and was still mostly cloudy, so the lighting wasn't that great. There was also some photographer error in some of the shots. *sigh* I used the wrong settings for some. Don't know where my head was at.

Anyway, here are some of the pictures I took.

Sean (17) and Kelly (14).

We hadn't been to the park in a year so. Hard to believe considering how much we love it there. They've made some changes since we were last there. They built a new dock on the main lake and there are sidewalks and speed bumps now.

I'd like to go back sometime next week when it's sunny. Hopefully it'll dry out by the time we go back. It was pretty muddy out there today. We'd like to walk the trails next time, too. It's been too long since we've done that. I love how natural the trails are. I love that the trails are so wooded that you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.